The purpose of animal drinking cups or bowls is to deliver water in a hygienic and controlled manner to farm animals so that the farm animals may have as much water as they desire, without wasting or spilling a significant amount of water. In conventional animal drinking cups or bowls, a nipple drinker having an actuator is mounted adjacent the rear of the cup or bowl, and the front of the cup or bowl slants downwardly toward the rear so that a pool of water is provided adjacent the nipple drinker actuator. For certain types of animals, however, such as for piglets, the animal can continuously actuate the nipple drinker while drinking out of the pool. This can cause excess delivery of water, excess spillage, and/or unhygienic conditions.
In the animal drinking cup or bowl according to the present invention the nipple drinker pin actuator is located at a first location, and the cup or bowl body has a slanting bottom (which may be the actual bottom, or in some cases a false bottom) portion slanting downwardly away from the first location to a pool-defining portion of the cup or bowl body at a second location, remote from the first location. In this way it is very difficult for an animal, such as a piglet, to activate the pin actuator while drinking out of the pool of water at the pool-defining portion. Therefore water waste and spillage are minimized, and hygiene is preserved.
According to one aspect of the present invention an animal drinking cup or bowl is provided comprising the following components: A nipple drinker having a pin actuator. A cup or bowl body mounting the nipple drinker so the pin actuator is at a first location. And, the cup or bowl body having a slanted bottom portion adjacent the first location and leading downwardly to a pool-defining portion at a second location remote from the first location. Preferably, the second location is sufficiently remote from the first location so that an animal using the drinking cup or bowl substantially cannot activate the pin actuator while simultaneously drinking out of the pool-defining portion. While the bottom portion (which may be the actual bottom of the cup or bowl body, or a false bottom) may have a wide variety of angles or contours depending upon the particular animal that the drinking cup or bowl is designed to be used with, or for other factors, typically the slanted bottom portion makes a substantially uniform angle between about 4-10.degree. with respect to the horizontal.
The cup or bowl body may have a substantially closed rear and a substantially open front, and the slanted bottom portion may slant from adjacent the rear downwardly toward the front, with the nipple drinker mounted adjacent the rear. The nipple drinker can be mounted with any suitable conventional structure such as brackets, holes formed in the body, etc. Alternatively, where the bowl has substantially closed first and second sides, the slanted bottom portion may slant downwardly from adjacent the first side toward the second side with the pool-defining portion adjacent the second side, and the nipple drinker mounted adjacent the first side, for example on the rear of the cup or bowl body. Alternatively, the slanted bottom portion may slant downwardly from adjacent a center portion of the cup or bowl body toward the first side, and another, second, slanted portion and pool-defining portion may be provided, with the second slanted bottom portion slanting downwardly from the second portion toward the second side, and the second pool-defining portion adjacent the second side.
According to another aspect of the present invention an animal drinking cup or bowl is provided comprising the following components: A metal (e.g. stainless steel) cup or bowl body having a substantially closed rear, first and second sides, and a substantially open front. A substantially closed bottom having a slanted portion making an angle with respect to the horizontal of greater than about 4 degrees, and leading to a pool-defining portion. And, wherein the pool-defining portion is adjacent the front and the slanted portion slanting downwardly from adjacent the rear toward the front.
According to still another embodiment of the present invention, an animal drinking cup or bowl is provided comprising the following components: A metal cup or bowl body having a substantially closed rear and first and second sides, and a substantially open front. A substantially closed bottom having a slanted portion making an angle with respect to the horizontal of greater than about 4 degrees, and leading to a pool-defining portion. And, wherein the pool-defining portion is adjacent the first side, and the slanted portion extends downwardly toward the first side. The slanted and pool-defining portions may be first portions, and the drinking cup or bowl may further comprise a second slanted bottom portion and second pool-defining portion, the second pool-defining portion adjacent the second side; and the first and second slanted portions slanting downwardly from a center portion toward the first and second sides, respectively.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an advantageous animal drinking cup or bowl. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.